What is a Steelers Fan?
What's the big deal about Steeler football? Being a Steeler fan means so much more than football.

It means being from a corner of the world unlike any other. It means being from a place where the people are so tough-minded that they have survived the Homestead strikes, the Johnstown flood and most recently the Etna Floods.

These people have the DNA of hard work, in mills and mines, without the necessity of complaint.

They live simply, with no frills. They don't have movie stars or fancy cars.

Instead, they have simple traditions like kielbasa and Kennywood.

They live in distinctive neighborhoods like Polish Hill and the Hill District and all of the surrounding counties.

These people are genuine.

They don't have chic internet cafes and cappuccinos, but they have The Original Hot Dog joint, Eat n' Park and Iron City Beer.

People from Pittsburgh don't have sunny beaches or fancy boats, but the rivers roll gently, connecting the small towns of people whose histories have been built on strength and humility.

People from Pittsburgh don't have the biggest shopping malls or the best nightclubs, but they'll take Friday night high school football and Steeler Sunday over anything.

Steeler football means so much more than you think. It symbolizes a diaspora of generations who had the best childhood they could imagine.

They ran free without a care or concern in the valleys of those Allegheny Mountains. Their blue-collar world was easy ... there was no one to tell them that they lacked material things. There was no one to tell them that they needed more.

As the steel mills closed and the jobs disappeared, some of these people had to leave. While the world benefits because they spread their Pittsburgh values, they long for their home where things were simpler and more pure.

They teach their kids about Jack Lambert and Joe Greene in hopes of departing not just the knowledge, but the feeling that they represented.

They are everywhere, those Terrible Towels. They wave, not just for the team, but for the hearts they left behind. They wave in living rooms in Fort Lauderdale and in the bars D.C. They wave all the way to the Seattle Superdome! They wave for the Rooney family, whose values mirror our own - loyalty, grit, and humility. They wave for football players like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward, whose unselfishness and toughness have allowed sports to be about the game and the team.

Make no mistake that Steeler football is not just about football. I could not be prouder to be from the Pittsburgh area than I am right now!! Even if you no longer live in the area, you have South Western Pennsylvania in your blood no matter where you go . and deep down in your heart of hearts, you can still hear the Super Bowls of times past, the excitement in everyone's voices especially our fathers, cousins, and anyone else who gathered around the TV on Football Sundays!! Make no mistake, its just as exciting right now if not more!! It's not just about rivalries and who is better than the other, it's about family, tradition and roots! It's more than football, but its football at its finest!! If you now live in Colorado, Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, Florida, Iowa, Texas . be proud of where you were born and who your FIRST favorite football team was!!..

Michael Keller

07-29-2007, 11:46 AM

Very well done. Being a Steeler fan is a " WAY OF LIFE". It is a form of a religion and a positive addiction. I hope we never ever lose "The Steeler way" . Thanks for putting into words what a whole "nation" believes and lives.

A Steelers fan just loves lengthy monologues espousing their poetic virtues with as many clich?s as possible!

The DNA of hardwork?

Please.

SteelCityMan786

07-29-2007, 12:16 PM

Nice read Stlrs.

steelpride12

07-29-2007, 12:33 PM

Wow such strong a powerful words and very true!

stillers4me

07-29-2007, 12:35 PM

What is a Steelers fan?

A Steelers fan just loves lengthy monologues espousing their poetic virtues with as many clich?s as possible!

The DNA of hardwork?

Please.

Ever worked in a steelmill or watched your dad after he came home from the mill or the look on his face when he comes home to tell the family he just got laid off, again.??

I thought not.

The Duke

07-29-2007, 02:07 PM

Great read

HometownGal

07-29-2007, 03:02 PM

Ever worked in a steelmill or watched your dad after he came home from the mill or the look on his face when he comes home to tell the family he just got laid off, again.??

I thought not.

http://blogs.smh.com.au/mashup/images/applause.gif

What is a Steelers fan?

A Steelers fan just loves lengthy monologues espousing their poetic virtues with as many clich?s as possible!

The DNA of hardwork?

Please.

I suggest you stick to pie and chips, bubbles and squeak and hot toddies there LITP. You obviously need a good clout with the clue hammer regarding the history behind Pittsburgh and its people. As a Pittsburgher, I resent your insensitive diatribe above.

Thank you for the great read, Stlrs4life - excellent and right on the money! :thumbsup:

ChronoCross

07-29-2007, 03:54 PM

Being part of such a great nation is a honor and a belief in unity of fans. No other fans do it like Steelers fans. When you watch a segment are full length video on steeler nation you set there and see all your brothers and sisters and tears sometimes dawn your eyes as you know you are part of something great, something that has lived in history for over 75 years. Its period one of the best feelings and part of life.

Elvis

07-29-2007, 05:18 PM

:tt02::tt02::tt02:
To be a Steelers' fan? Hmmmmmm
Now, I live a little south of the Pittsburgh, PA area here in western NC, but I know a little about hard work and not having much in life. I work 47 hours a week and make enough $$$ to supply my family of 4 with what we need. I come home from a 9 1/2 hour day 5 days a week and I thank the Good Lord above for the strength to be able to get out and earn a living, some folks arent in the right health to do that everyday. Now, I am not from the great town of Pittsburgh or even close in miles.. but ya know what?.... My blood is not red.... it is Black N Gold Baby.. and has been for close to 25 or so years. I love the Steelers and I love those folks that get out every day and make an honest living... not just trying to get a free ride.. (government style) there is folks that cant get out and work and God knows that. Live your life according to Jesus' Book and accept him into your life and he will bless you more than you will ever need. "I AM A STEELERS FAN AND PROUD OF IT"

Preacher

07-29-2007, 07:36 PM

What is a Steelers fan?

A Steelers fan just loves lengthy monologues espousing their poetic virtues with as many clich?s as possible!

The DNA of hardwork?

Please.

LITP...

Lately you seem to be more arrogant then usual toward the Steeler team and fans.

I admire your football knowledge. However, you are utterly clueless in what the Steelers mean to the city of Pittsburgh. You can and will never have an idea. It is not like your beloved pats... or almost any other team...

Being that I did not grow up in Pittsburgh, I didn't get it either for a number of years. They were just a favorite team. Then when I started to hang out with other fans, I caught a much deeper understanding of who and what the team itself, and the surrounding community is.

Years ago, when the mills and everything else was closing, when the very essence and personality of the city was in doubt, there was only one thing in Pittsburgh to give them any relief from the literal hell they felt every day. That was a resurgent Steeler team that dealt with football the same way Pittsburghers deal with life. Hard, ugly, full-force, regardless of what comes at you. The Steelers became the ONE thing that they could discuss that didn't involve A. Some one else being laid off, or another mill closing. B. Some one else losing their house or C. Someone else committing suicide because they lost it all.

Yeah... other cities were dealing with it... but they didn't have a team that they could invest all thier hopes into... and have it fulfilled, giving them hope for one more week. The team, and the city made it through. Today, the team is the beloved son of the city.

Today, I love the Steelers even more, because of the city. I have learned to love Pittsburgh as a city because of this history (and my own personal history with the Steelers... which when expressed, every Steeler fan seems to look at me with a knowing look... ).

You have not just posted some tripe. You have insulted a city, a people, and a history.

The saddest part about it... I doubt you have the ability to see what was posted above... and post something showing respectability.

Please prove me wrong...

Or you could just post telling me (and all Steeler fans) again to, "Get Bent." Which, BTW, is a lovely gesture... Telling someone to bend over and wait for someone else to sodomize them....

Lovely... :rolleyes:

alittlejazzbird

07-29-2007, 08:37 PM

I've been e-mailed this piece several times over the last couple years. I think it was particularly popular, and may even have been written, around Super Bowl time.

It's true that Western Pennsylvanians are a unique bunch, and as Preacher noted, people who don't come from there just don't understand the special brand of love/lunacy that we all feel toward our Steelers.

However, speaking as a native of one of those now-dead little steel towns along the Mon, and as someone who was growing up in the late 60s and through the 70s as the steel collapse was happening, I understand LITP's somewhat jaundiced view of the writer's highly romanticized recollections.

I appreciate and enjoy how accurately the writer captures the pride of place and our crazy love of our Steelers, but I can tell you first hand that my blue-collar life, just like the lives of all our friends, neighbors and family, was not particularly "easy" and definitely not carefree, and it's downright wrong to presume that people didn't know they lacked material things -- they most certainly did know -- or that they didn't want more. Everyone I and my parents knew aspired to more, and to a better life.

As any Pittsburgher who has moved away is aware, the particular brand of hometown pride that is practiced in Western Pa. may have produced a "salt of the earth" kind of people -- the type of no-nonsense, good-hearted people who look out for their neighbors and would give you the shirt off their backs -- but it has also produced a dismaying stubborn tendency to resist change or progress, and an unfortunate "that's the way we've always done it" sort of mindset that inhibits growth and, in my opinion, negatively impacts the region's quality of life.

One of my non-Pittsburgh friends remarked during a visit to my hometown a few years back, "I feel like I've stepped back into 1975." It's an interesing paradox; the very things that make the people and the region unique, are the very things that hold them back.

The writer of this piece has a quaint and romanticized view of that era, but it's a lovely little time capsule.

RoethlisBURGHer

07-29-2007, 08:40 PM

What is a Steelers fan?

A Steelers fan just loves lengthy monologues espousing their poetic virtues with as many clich?s as possible!

The DNA of hardwork?

Please.

Dude,have you ever been laid off from your livleyhood (sp)?I'm not talking a grocery clerk job...not some stupid little job you worked in high school and college.I am talking the job that supported you and your family.

That is what happened to so many people from Western Pennsylvania.The mines and mills is what employed nearly the entire area.It's all the people knew.There wasn't another job to go get because every day another one closed.They few that weren't closing were laying people off left and right.

Of course,you'd know nothing about a connection like this with your team.The Patriots were nothing but a sports footnote in New England for most of thier existance.

So please,do me a favor.Don't ridicule the Steelers,thier fans,and the city of Pittsburgh.It makes you come off like a troll and a trouble maker.If you want to get banned by a moderator,just ask.Don't act like a small child,even if that's the maturity level you are at.

Preacher

07-29-2007, 08:42 PM

and, in my opinion, negatively impacts the region's quality of life.

The writer of this piece has a quaint and romanticized view of that era, but it's a lovely little time capsule.

QUality of life?? In North NJ? :sofunny:

(My wife is from that area... Montclair/Clifton/Bloomfield, and loves it! I just had to give it a little poke!:poke:

alittlejazzbird

07-29-2007, 08:49 PM

QUality of life?? In North NJ? :sofunny:

(My wife is from that area... Montclair/Clifton/Bloomfield)

I feel ya, Preacher. Believe me, I don't live here by choice -- hubby was transferred by his company. The writer of that piece got one thing absolutely right: Western Pennsylvanians are genuine, and in those terms, I'd take Pittsburgh's quality of life any day over the rat race and rudeness of metro NYC.

(no offense to anyone on this board from New Jersey!)

The Duke

07-29-2007, 09:00 PM

Steelers fans are the best, plain and simple :sign01:

katk9

07-29-2007, 09:15 PM

:tt02::tt02::tt02:
To be a Steelers' fan? Hmmmmmm
Now, I live a little south of the Pittsburgh, PA area here in western NC, but I know a little about hard work and not having much in life. I work 47 hours a week and make enough $$$ to supply my family of 4 with what we need. I come home from a 9 1/2 hour day 5 days a week and I thank the Good Lord above for the strength to be able to get out and earn a living, some folks arent in the right health to do that everyday. Now, I am not from the great town of Pittsburgh or even close in miles.. but ya know what?.... My blood is not red.... it is Black N Gold Baby.. and has been for close to 25 or so years. I love the Steelers and I love those folks that get out every day and make an honest living... not just trying to get a free ride.. (government style) there is folks that cant get out and work and God knows that. Live your life according to Jesus' Book and accept him into your life and he will bless you more than you will ever need. "I AM A STEELERS FAN AND PROUD OF IT"

Thank you very much for words well said.
:yep::iagree::thmbup:

clarient

07-29-2007, 11:40 PM

Nonbelievers will never truly get it.

It's laudable to try and educate them on what being part of the Steelers Nation really means, but I don't think it's something they can understand. It's not just being a fan of a team, it's a sense that you have joined an immense brother- and sister-hood. I see a glimpse of the Black and Gold on TV and my heart leaps. I see a sticker or a jersey - in the middle of Cowboys country, in central Texas! - and it brings a smile to my face and a "How 'bout them Stillers!" to my lips. My Roethlisberger jersey hangs on the wall of apartment and my Black and Gold beads dangle from the rearview mirror of my car.

I may not have been there for the hard times and the Steel Mill closures and the general exodus from Pittsburgh, but I still feel the passion! We are not the same kinds of fans that other teams have. It's something very, very different that can't easily be explained.

Livinginthe past

07-30-2007, 01:51 AM

Ever worked in a steelmill or watched your dad after he came home from the mill or the look on his face when he comes home to tell the family he just got laid off, again.??

I thought not.

What?

I've been made redundant from my place of work once before and its due to happen again this Xmas - this will be the second factory I have worked in that has closed.

You'd think Pittsburgh was the only place on earth where the local economy hinged on a single industry.

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, though.

Livinginthe past

07-30-2007, 01:54 AM

I suggest you stick to pie and chips, bubbles and squeak and hot toddies there LITP. You obviously need a good clout with the clue hammer regarding the history behind Pittsburgh and its people. As a Pittsburgher, I resent your insensitive diatribe above.

Thank you for the great read, Stlrs4life - excellent and right on the money! :thumbsup:

As much as I love your use of British stereotypes to depict me in such a hilarious fashion im going to have to reserve my right to voice my opinion.

You are quite welcome to resent that opinion all you like.

Preacher

07-30-2007, 02:00 AM

What?

I've been made redundant from my place of work once before and its due to happen again this Xmas - this will be the second factory I have worked in that has closed.

You'd think Pittsburgh was the only place on earth where the local economy hinged on a single industry.

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, though.

You ever see an entire city almost shut down? then on top of that, you ever see an entire city shut down, and place all thier hopes in a sports team? Then, beyond that, the team come through 4 times in 6 years, and become the ONLY source of pride for the entire city... encompassing heart and attitude of the city in the way they went about their sport?

The only thhing CLOSE to that would be the win of the 1980 olympic hockey team against the U.S.S.R.

but I imagine that is quaint, poetically virtuous trash.

Livinginthe past

07-30-2007, 02:08 AM

LITP...

Lately you seem to be more arrogant then usual toward the Steeler team and fans.

I admire your football knowledge. However, you are utterly clueless in what the Steelers mean to the city of Pittsburgh. You can and will never have an idea. It is not like your beloved pats... or almost any other team...

Why, thank you.

Despite the fact I will 'never have an idea about what the Steelers mean to the city of Pittsburgh' I have the weirdest feeling you are about to lecture me nonetheless.

Being that I did not grow up in Pittsburgh, I didn't get it either for a number of years. They were just a favorite team. Then when I started to hang out with other fans, I caught a much deeper understanding of who and what the team itself, and the surrounding community is.

Years ago, when the mills and everything else was closing, when the very essence and personality of the city was in doubt, there was only one thing in Pittsburgh to give them any relief from the literal hell they felt every day. That was a resurgent Steeler team that dealt with football the same way Pittsburghers deal with life. Hard, ugly, full-force, regardless of what comes at you. The Steelers became the ONE thing that they could discuss that didn't involve A. Some one else being laid off, or another mill closing. B. Some one else losing their house or C. Someone else committing suicide because they lost it all.

Yeah... other cities were dealing with it... but they didn't have a team that they could invest all thier hopes into... and have it fulfilled, giving them hope for one more week. The team, and the city made it through. Today, the team is the beloved son of the city.

Yeah, I think the article covered this, right?

You think those men and women who struggled so hard would have been busy admiring themselves through flowery prose and arrogant exaggeration?

I doubt it.

Today, I love the Steelers even more, because of the city. I have learned to love Pittsburgh as a city because of this history (and my own personal history with the Steelers... which when expressed, every Steeler fan seems to look at me with a knowing look... ).

Thats very nice for sure, im sure.

You love the city your favorite football team plays for - im happy for you.

You have not just posted some tripe. You have insulted a city, a people, and a history.

The saddest part about it... I doubt you have the ability to see what was posted above... and post something showing respectability.

Please prove me wrong...

I've insulted a whole city?

I see the exaggeration isn't limited to the 'poetry' - tell the city to write me an email if it wants its feelings soothed.

Livinginthe past

07-30-2007, 02:09 AM

You ever see an entire city almost shut down? then on top of that, you ever see an entire city shut down, and place all thier hopes in a sports team? Then, beyond that, the team come through 4 times in 6 years, and become the ONLY source of pride for the entire city... encompassing heart and attitude of the city in the way they went about their sport?

The only thhing CLOSE to that would be the win of the 1980 olympic hockey team against the U.S.S.R.

but I imagine that is quaint, poetically virtuous trash.

I don't remember this being a competition to see whose city/town has borne the most hardship.

The original post was flowery nonsense.

I'd say the same if I read it about the USA hockey team.

Preacher

07-30-2007, 03:01 AM

I was about to respond with another long post...

however...

I guess it just isn't really worth it. Somethings are just lost on people.

Kittyfish

07-30-2007, 12:35 PM

Well, this may or may not be pertinent, but I just got back from visiting friends in Michigan. I was there for 8 days and in all that time saw ONE Lions shirt, or anything else Lions. Granted, the Lions haven't been giving their fans much to brag about, but still. Saw a few Tigers shirts, but not many. The largest "city" near me is Butler, PA, which is a couple of hours north of Pittsburgh. No matter what time of year, no matter how the Steelers are doing, you see tons and tons of Steelers stuff when you go to town. Shirts, jerseys, hats, bumper stickers, decorated cars, you name it. I just ordered a big Steelers patch to put on the back of my otherwise-wonderful-but-too-plain black winter jacket. I am not a native Pittsburgher, but it's obvious that the Steelers are truly part of the culture here, and we take great pride in our history.

memphissteelergirl

07-30-2007, 01:00 PM

Hey, don't forget about us "outta-tahners...." the fans who did not come from the Western PA area but "adopted" the city when we chose the Steelers as our favorite team.

:tt02::tt02:

rbryan

07-30-2007, 01:12 PM

What?

I've been made redundant from my place of work once before and its due to happen again this Xmas - this will be the second factory I have worked in that has closed.

You'd think Pittsburgh was the only place on earth where the local economy hinged on a single industry.

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, though.

I wouldn't expect a fan that doesn't live or probably even visited the town where the team whose bandwagon they jumped on to understand. How long have you been a Patsie fan??

BTW who is "living in the past" now? That must have seemed like a clever name when you picked it in 05.

Virginia Steeler

07-30-2007, 02:34 PM

not sure why livinginthepast is even on a Steelers message board...I'd rather watch the View than go on another team's site....

alittlejazzbird

07-30-2007, 03:36 PM

Wow, who knew such an innocent little piece of prose would raise such emotions?

If you're interested in seeing a more "realistic" view of life in Western Pennsylvania, circa late 1970s/early 1980s, I highly recommend the very movie to which Coach Tomlin alluded last weekend, All The Right Moves.

It's a completely unsentimental look at Western Pennsylvania steeltown life in all its hopeless, unromantic glory, and one of Tom Cruise's earliest starring roles. It may be the extreme opposite of "What is a Steelers Fan?", but it's a surprisingly accurate portrait of the kind of place in which many of us "natives" grew up.

Livinginthe past

07-30-2007, 04:10 PM

I wouldn't expect a fan that doesn't live or probably even visited the town where the team whose bandwagon they jumped on to understand. How long have you been a Patsie fan??

BTW who is "living in the past" now? That must have seemed like a clever name when you picked it in 05.

Stick to the subject at hand.

:yawn: You can imagine how many times i've had to addess questions with a similar lack of imagination before.

rbryan

07-30-2007, 04:33 PM

I am sticking to the subject. It's not your fault. I was addressing the fact that the Patsies are obviously not your hometown team. I doubt I would have much credibility at the local pub around the corner from your home if I suddenly became a die hard Manchester United fan.

As far as the name you picked, I had been accused of "living in the past" for the last twenty years prior to the 05 season. I thought it was ironic that the year you chose that name the Steelers finally broke through. Hey, I owe you big time for that one.lol

Stlrs4Life

07-30-2007, 04:39 PM

Ahhhh. LITP still doesn't get it, but it's OK. I wouldn't really expect somebody from Britian to understand it.

Preacher

07-30-2007, 06:25 PM

Ahhhh. LITP still doesn't get it, but it's OK. I wouldn't really expect somebody from Britian to understand it.

Yep.

That is why i just stopped posting to him on this thread...

"All the right moves" is a great movie. One of the few that I actually like Tom Cruise in.

RoethlisBURGHer

07-30-2007, 09:19 PM

I think it's eating at LITP that his "beloved" Patsies haven't won a Super Bowl in two years...and the Steelers have won one more recently probally causes it to eat at him more.

Living In The Past,how clever a name which he though would incite us...it now is starting to describe Patriot fans...because every year they don't win a Super Bowl,the further into the past thier CHampionships get pushed.

stlrtruck

07-30-2007, 10:03 PM

Here's the bottom in line:

In Pittsburgh there is 6 months of nothing and then 6 months of living at the top. While there is no "other" season in Pittsburgh until football season is over, other towns have the luxury of saying, "Basketball season starts in october" or "Pitchers and catchers report in February" or "Our hockey team has a better chance of winning this year".

So while LITP I truly appreciate your knowledge of football, it's clear to me that you just aren't a man that likes poetry. But I would only add, that it would be difficult to enjoy poetry when the only thing that could be said about the overall state of mind in the NE states is about their arrogance, pompousness, and lack of general respect for others! It's also difficult to enjoy poetry when your favorite team's history is more of a joke in the NFL then the past few years when the patsies finally pulled even with the Red Sox (at least until the Red Sox won the World Series a few years back).

Please do not get me wrong, I'm not saying you are those things LITP, I'm just saying that people I've run into from that area display that mentality.

83-Steelers-43

07-30-2007, 10:25 PM

or "Our hockey team has a better chance of winning this year".

Actually, we do have and will continue to have that luxury thanks to him.....

And we do have the luxury of saying pitchers and catchers report in February...however it's said with a glum tone knowing once again the Pirates will suck.

steelpride12

07-30-2007, 10:42 PM

And we do have the luxury of saying pitchers and catchers report in February...however it's said with a glum tone knowing once again the Pirates will suck.

One Day our Beloved Pirates will be good.

83-Steelers-43

07-30-2007, 10:55 PM

And we do have the luxury of saying pitchers and catchers report in February...however it's said with a glum tone knowing once again the Pirates will suck.

Somebody buy that man a beer...:wink02::cheers:

Livinginthe past

07-31-2007, 02:04 AM

Here's the bottom in line:

In Pittsburgh there is 6 months of nothing and then 6 months of living at the top. While there is no "other" season in Pittsburgh until football season is over, other towns have the luxury of saying, "Basketball season starts in october" or "Pitchers and catchers report in February" or "Our hockey team has a better chance of winning this year".

So while LITP I truly appreciate your knowledge of football, it's clear to me that you just aren't a man that likes poetry. But I would only add, that it would be difficult to enjoy poetry when the only thing that could be said about the overall state of mind in the NE states is about their arrogance, pompousness, and lack of general respect for others! It's also difficult to enjoy poetry when your favorite team's history is more of a joke in the NFL then the past few years when the patsies finally pulled even with the Red Sox (at least until the Red Sox won the World Series a few years back).

Please do not get me wrong, I'm not saying you are those things LITP, I'm just saying that people I've run into from that area display that mentality.

For starters, I find your crude labelling of people in the NE states (how many people are we grouping together here?) absolutely ridiculous.

So all these people are pompous and arrogant?

Yep, poetry is so very working class - damn those arrogant, aloof poetry haters.

To re-cap, im not from any of those areas (in fact I couldn't be much further away) but people who generalise people's qualities (good or bad) show incredible ignorance.

Just because I found the original post laughable doesn't mean I don't like poetry - it really isn't the same thingas poetic sounding, cliched nonsense, anyway.

I doubt i'll be getting dragged into a Patriots related mud-slinging fest (which is the only way some people know how to deal with criticism of anything, in here) - you have something to say about the patriots you can take it the BF - you might get a response there.

Preacher

07-31-2007, 02:17 AM

For starters, I find your crude labelling of people in the NE states (how many people are we grouping together here?) absolutely ridiculous.

So all these people are pompous and arrogant?

To re-cap, im not from any of those areas (in fact I couldn't be much further away) but people who generalise people's qualities (good or bad) show incredible ignorance.

LITP... Your a Brit. You don't have a leg to stand on in this aspect of the discussion... unless you have lived in the states...

There is a general assessment in this nation.. N.E. are pompous arrogant jerks. Midamerica is backwater hicks, Texas thinks everyone else does it wrong... and the west is too far out to care about... except for California, which is just an enigma to all.

Yes, that is a broad brush.. it is a GENERAL STATEMENT made by an American about American understanding of American culture.

LarryNJ

07-31-2007, 04:15 AM

There is a general assessment in this nation.. N.E. are pompous arrogant jerks. Midamerica is backwater hicks, Texas thinks everyone else does it wrong... and the west is too far out to care about... except for California, which is just an enigma to all.

Yes, that is a broad brush.. it is a GENERAL STATEMENT made by an American about American understanding of American culture.

You are right Preacher although you forgot the best ones.

East coast girls are hip
I really dig those styles they wear
And the Southern girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I'm down there

The Midwest farmer's daughters
Really make you feel alright
And the Northern girls with the way they kiss
They keep their boyfriends warm at night

you can still hear the Super Bowls of times past, the excitement in everyone's voices especially our fathers, cousins, and anyone else who gathered around the TV on Football Sundays!! Make no mistake, its just as exciting right now if not more!! It's not just about rivalries and who is better than the other, it's about family, tradition and roots! It's more than football, but its football at its finest!!

That's one part that I don't agree with. I'm not in the city now but I was in the 70's and in the 90's and it wasn't even close to being as exciting in the 90's. The 70's in Pittsburgh was something that I don't think we'll ever see again anywhere in the US. I think a big part of that was the family, we simply don't have the family traditions and values like there were back than.

I did spend the 80's in the DC area when the skins were winning super bowls. I now live in the Philly area while they haven't won a superbowl they have had good teams and have made it to the super bowl. Both cities were fun and have good fans but neither place is close to the religion of Steeler Sunday in Western Pa.

If you aren't part of it now or were never part of it you'll never understand.

Preacher

07-31-2007, 04:31 AM

You are right Preacher although you forgot the best ones.

East coast girls are hip
I really dig those styles they wear
And the Southern girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I'm down there

The Midwest farmer's daughters
Really make you feel alright
And the Northern girls with the way they kiss
They keep their boyfriends warm at night

:sofunny::sofunny: How could I ever forget that?

Buzz05

07-31-2007, 08:35 AM

If you're interested in seeing a more "realistic" view of life in Western Pennsylvania, circa late 1970s/early 1980s, I highly recommend the very movie to which Coach Tomlin alluded last weekend, All The Right Moves.

And you are right. I grew up in the 80's and all I remember my dad telling me is how it was like in the 70's with the Steal mills closing. Infact Iv had multiple brothers lose their jobs because of the mines closing. If its one thing I am proud to say its that Im a coal miners son. And this movie is exactly what it was like in central Pa to a 'T'

And actually no offense to LITP but I wouldnt expect people from outside of Western/ Central Pa to understand the love fest. What is sacred to some of us may be a silly little crush to others. Its just the difference in people.

BlacknGold Bleeder

07-31-2007, 09:38 AM

To re-cap, im not from any of those areas (in fact I couldn't be much further away) but people who generalise people's qualities (good or bad) show incredible ignorance.

You really ought to practice what you preach !! LITP this is you described to a T :dang:

steelpride12

07-31-2007, 10:32 AM

A steeler fan is someone who hates the Bungles, Ratbirds, and the Brownies!

A Steelers fan just loves lengthy monologues espousing their poetic virtues with as many clich?s as possible!

:scratchchin:

Livinginthe past

07-31-2007, 11:31 AM

:scratchchin:

LOL.

Ya know that comment was strictly tongue-in-cheek - I qualified it plenty of times by referring to some Steeler fans - it was supposed to be in keeping with the general theme of the 'sappy' poem.

You know what im talking about, right? :wink02:

fansince'76

07-31-2007, 11:32 AM

LOL.

Ya know that comment was strictly tongue-in-cheek - I qualified it plenty of times by referring to some Steeler fans - it was supposed to be in keeping with the general theme of the 'sappy' poem.

You know what im talking about, right? :wink02:

I know - just messing with you. :cheers:

Livinginthe past

07-31-2007, 11:37 AM

LITP... Your a Brit. You don't have a leg to stand on in this aspect of the discussion... unless you have lived in the states...

There is a general assessment in this nation.. N.E. are pompous arrogant jerks. Midamerica is backwater hicks, Texas thinks everyone else does it wrong... and the west is too far out to care about... except for California, which is just an enigma to all.

Yes, that is a broad brush.. it is a GENERAL STATEMENT made by an American about American understanding of American culture.

Sure, I can.

General assessments, as you put it, are based on ignorance and bias.

Plenty of times on here i've seen people take shots at people from Cleveland and Cincinatti (not just the football fans) and try to make out they are somehow less intelligent, less classy because they live a different side of a state line.

I am very well aware, of what a stereotype is aswell - and really dont need to live in the States to comprehend - we get plenty of American 'culture' here....Hank Hill would be your typical Texan (Cowboys fan), for example.

Im sure that it helps to simplify things by putting people under one huge umbrella....for those that need things simplifying.

Livinginthe past

07-31-2007, 11:37 AM

I know - just messing with you. :cheers:

:thumbsup:

revefsreleets

07-31-2007, 06:02 PM

Wow. It's interesting to see all this response not to the original post, but to another posters response. What did anyone expect? A Patriots fan from England should never be expected to respond the same way a lifelong Steeler from the 'Burgh would. The best facsimile may be Manchester's relationship with Man U's team, but how many of us here in the states would or could appreciate that relationship?

Then again, how many people here are posting on English soccer boards and baiting soccer lads and hooligans?

Preacher

07-31-2007, 10:25 PM

.Hank Hill would be your typical Texan (Cowboys fan), for example.

See, now your getting it...

Let's try another one...

Hank Hill arrested would become which teams fan?

:sofunny::sofunny:That's right!!! The Bungles!

(is that what you mean by stereotyping?)

steelersfanmx

07-31-2007, 10:33 PM

I love that read!..
Now can anyone with excellent english (not like mine).. write something about
what is like to be a foreigner steelers fan?...:flap:

stlrtruck

08-01-2007, 10:26 AM

And we do have the luxury of saying pitchers and catchers report in February...however it's said with a glum tone knowing once again the Pirates will suck.

We have the luxury to say it but my point being is that we don't say it in October, November, or December.

stlrtruck

08-01-2007, 10:33 AM

For starters, I find your crude labelling of people in the NE states (how many people are we grouping together here?) absolutely ridiculous.

So all these people are pompous and arrogant?

Yep, poetry is so very working class - damn those arrogant, aloof poetry haters.

To re-cap, im not from any of those areas (in fact I couldn't be much further away) but people who generalise people's qualities (good or bad) show incredible ignorance.

Just because I found the original post laughable doesn't mean I don't like poetry - it really isn't the same thingas poetic sounding, cliched nonsense, anyway.

I doubt i'll be getting dragged into a Patriots related mud-slinging fest (which is the only way some people know how to deal with criticism of anything, in here) - you have something to say about the patriots you can take it the BF - you might get a response there.

Having relatives in that area and knowing the area rather well, when the majority of the population acts in a pompous and arrogant manner, I like to group them together. Makes for easier typing. Just like me saying people in the DC and Baltimore areas are impolite and rude. It's a fact that most people in those areas act that way.

So the whole generalized statement does have some truth to it. If you choose not to believe it, then by all means, that is your choice but trust me, my statement is not based off of ignorance as much as it is experience.

83-Steelers-43

08-01-2007, 10:58 AM

My generalization of the day....

Pittsburgh drivers are horrible. We may be considered as some of the more polite drivers in the country, but for some reason when we go through the Fort Pitt Tunnels we slam on the breaks and I honestly believe that many of those people feel there is a black hole on the other side of the tunnel that will transport them to Cleveland or Cincinnati. I don't understand it.

rbryan

08-01-2007, 11:58 AM

I don't know about that. I grew up in the Burgh and lived in South Fla for 20 years. I'll take Pittsburgh drivers over Fla drivers anyday. Half the Fla drivers don't read English and therefore don't know what the road signs mean.

Its like driving in a third world country. And don't get me started on the number of drivers over 80 mixed into the above scenario.

83-Steelers-43

08-01-2007, 12:00 PM

I don't know about that. I grew up in the Burgh and lived in South Fla for 20 years. I'll take Pittsburgh drivers over Fla drivers anyday. Half the Fla drivers don't read English and therefore don't know what the road signs mean.

Its like driving in a third world country. And don't get me started on the number of drivers over 80 mixed into the above scenario.

Hey, I didn't say we were worse than Florida drivers. You guys take the cake..lol. I vacation in the Tampa area and I've seen it first hand. It's pretty bad down there.

SCSTILLER

08-01-2007, 12:03 PM

Another thing about Steelers fans that gets lost sometimes:

Originally from New Brighton, Pa in good old Beaver County (where the mullet will never die, unfortunately) I joined the USAF right out of HS. Did alot of travelling finally ending up in Charleston, SC. Have been in Charleston for nearly 12 years, love it. Met some good friends but not nearly the type of friends I was used to. Then one day I was dropping my Mt. Bike off at a local bike shop and saw a bar with a Steelers banner in the window, and it was the offseason. I asked if they got all the Steelers games and the reply I received was "duh"! Went in there for the first game and sat at the bar. A group of guys and girls my age came in to watch the game also and turns out I was sitting in their section. By the second half of the game I felt like I knew all these Pittsburgh transplants my whole life. They have become the best friends I have ever known, and not just from Pittsburgh Steelers football, but from a value and so called character of originally being from W.Pa. Tried to explain that to some of my other friends (non steeler fans) and they have said that would never happen involving them going to watch their team at a strange bar. It is just a good feeling knowing you can walk into any Steeler bar across the country and hang out with people that know EXACTLY what you are talking about (yinz, Primantis, Iron City, Station Square, Gateway Clipper, South Side, etc.). Awesome.

83-Steelers-43

08-01-2007, 12:10 PM

Another thing about Steelers fans that gets lost sometimes:

Originally from New Brighton, Pa in good old Beaver County (where the mullet will never die, unfortunately) I joined the USAF right out of HS. Did alot of travelling finally ending up in Charleston, SC. Have been in Charleston for nearly 12 years, love it. Met some good friends but not nearly the type of friends I was used to. Then one day I was dropping my Mt. Bike off at a local bike shop and saw a bar with a Steelers banner in the window, and it was the offseason. I asked if they got all the Steelers games and the reply I received was "duh"! Went in there for the first game and sat at the bar. A group of guys and girls my age came in to watch the game also and turns out I was sitting in their section. By the second half of the game I felt like I knew all these Pittsburgh transplants my whole life. They have become the best friends I have ever known, and not just from Pittsburgh Steelers football, but from a value and so called character of originally being from W.Pa. Tried to explain that to some of my other friends (non steeler fans) and they have said that would never happen involving them going to watch their team at a strange bar. It is just a good feeling knowing you can walk into any Steeler bar across the country and hang out with people that know EXACTLY what you are talking about (yinz, Primantis, Iron City, Station Square, Gateway Clipper, South Side, etc.). Awesome.

Very cool story and thanks for sharing it. Also thanks for your military service. It's much appreciated by this Steeler fan. :cheers::helmet:

ricksteelers55

08-02-2007, 01:47 AM

I got to admit...

I'm from Montreal like I already said in the past.

But I always been a Pittsburgh guy.I always loved the Steelers for what they do,what they bring.

I've seen a lot of cities in your great country,but really.....REALLY Pittsburgh is the nicest one,no doubt about that.

And no matter what people around me in Canada are sayin because I love the Penguins and not the Canadiens.

No matter what people around me are sayin because I bleed Black N Gold instead of watching 12 men canadian football.

I will always be proud to be a Pittsburgh ''Hope to live there one day if I can get a green card'' type of guy.

Preacher

08-02-2007, 02:45 AM

SCstiller...

Yep.. go to any Black and Gold brigade... And you will feel like your at home!!

steelerallstar

08-03-2007, 10:04 AM

What is a STEELER fan?

A Steeler fan is someone who lives, breathes and believes in a "living" dynasty"......We are fans that respect the "legends" of old, such as Coach Noll, Greene, Stallworth, Bradshaw, as we grow to appreciate a new generation of "dynasty chasers". Hines W, Ben, Wille, Coach Tomlin and the rest of "our football family" are trying hard to help this franchise become an extended part of what we, the Steeler Nation, already have....Five trophies and a nation of success and "glory".......

Steeler Nation is and always WILL be a football nation in and of itself.......
What WAS the STEEL CURTAIN has now become a "STEEL WALL".......

Steeler fan since 1975. One that still believes and breathes STEELER SUCCESS!!!!!!

STEELER-NATION ISN'T JUST A WORD WE ARE AN "ACTION"
DOMINATION ISN'T JUST A WORD---IT'S A FACT!!!!!
:helmet:

iloveben7

08-03-2007, 12:46 PM

That was such a great read OP and I agree with everything that you said. Being a Steelers fan is a way of life. Black and Gold isn't just found in Pittsburgh, it's found all over the world. When we went to New Jersey, I was expecting to see all Phillies stuff, but we actually saw more stuff for the Steelers, which made me really happy. I'm so PROUD to be a Steeler fan and to be from the Burgh!!

zoneblitz43

08-09-2007, 02:22 PM

Steelers fans are the best fans in the world. I don't think you can find a team whose fans love them as much as the Steelers.

why am I a Steelers fan? I am from Ohio, and it started out of Bengals and Browns hatred. I have hated both teams since I was a kid. I would cheer for their biggest rival. I didn't really have a favorite team as a kid. however the Steelers grew on me over time and I made it official. I became a Steelers fan. I found a team that cares about the fans, and that cares about winning, unlike the teams here in Ohio. I'm glad I have a team I can be proud of.

A Steeler fan: a wise person who dedicates him or herself to an organization that dominates the nfl, this person follows the team for years and years and through good times and bad times!

Edman

08-09-2007, 03:14 PM

Being a Steeler fan to me means a lot. Steelers fans respect and take pride in their past, and open their minds to the future. I live and breathe Steelers every chance I get. I'm hooked on the Stillers and it's gonna take a lot to get me off. It's like religion, without the BS.

Clown, Bungle and Ratbird fans have developed a habit of disrespecting Steeler traditions(Stereotyping Steeler fans, Dissing the Terrible Towel). But it's all good to me. It's all jealousy, really. The Steelers have more Super Bowl titles than all three franchises... combined.